The death toll from a Ukrainian New Year missile attack on a Russian-held city in eastern Ukraine rose to 89 on Wednesday, increasing pressure on Russia’s military leadership.
The attack on Makiivka has caused Moscow’s biggest losses since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and angered it at home.
The damage from the attack has fueled criticism of the army commander, with even pro-Kremlin commentators suggesting the death toll could be in the hundreds.
The deadly attack comes after months of discontent with the military, as the Kremlin launched an unpopular mobilization.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russia’s defense ministry said the death toll had reached 89.
It announced a working commission to explain what happened and vowed that “guilty” officials would be punished.
In a video, Lieutenant General Sergei Sevryukov said that the tragedy happened because Russian soldiers were using mobile phones, giving their location to Ukrainian forces.
But some critics accuse the military of trying to shift the blame.
State television’s military correspondent – whose influence has been on the rise since the attack – accused the top commander of failing to kill.
The strike also caused grief in several cities, including in the Samara region on the Volga River.
Thousands of people have died in Ukraine and millions have been forced to flee their homes since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to attack on February 24.
Following a wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian targets, Moscow said Ukraine attacked a temporary base in Makiivka at 12:01 a.m. local time on January 1, using the US-supplied HIMARS rocket system.
Putin has yet to comment on the attack, which came shortly after a New Year’s speech in which he praised Moscow’s “heroes” in Ukraine.
Kyiv has claimed responsibility for the attack and said the death toll could be higher.
‘Public dispute’
In a sign that criticism is being taken seriously, head of Russia’s RT sat TV channel Margarita Simonyan welcomed the army’s promise that officials “will be held accountable.”
“I hope the names of these people” will be made public, he said.
“It is time to understand that impunity does not lead to social harmony. Impunity leads to new crimes. And, as a result, to public dissent.
There were reports that the soldiers were buried in an unprotected building that was destroyed because ammunition was stored there and exploded during the attack.
Rybar’s Telegram account, which has around a million followers, said it was “criminally naive” for the army to store ammunition next to the bedroom.
Britain’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that claims of ammunition being stored near sleeping quarters were a “realistic possibility.”
“The Russian military has a record of unsafe ammunition storage,” he said in a statement.
“This incident highlights how unprofessional practices contribute to the high casualty rate in Russia.”
The ‘Heroes’ troop praised
The governor of the Samara region – where some of the soldiers arrived – Dmitry Azarov for visiting the wounded who were brought to the southern city of Rostov near the Ukrainian border.
In comments to local media, he praised the “courage” of the troops.
“After the attacking soldiers and officers – wounded and concussed – saved others, pulled friends from under the rubble,” said Azarov.
Among the dead were a high-ranking soldier and also a “representative of the command staff”, he said.
Eastern Ukrainian separatist leader Denis Pushilin also praised the “heroism” of the troops.
“The majority of them, after almost leaving the building hit by the American Himars and regaining consciousness, returned to pull their friends,” Pushilin said on Telegram.
As Moscow grappled with the consequences of the Makiivka attack, authorities in Russia-annexed Crimea as well as the southern Rostov region said drones had been shot down in that area.
Rostov region governor Vasily Golubyev said the region’s air defense system went down in a village outside the main city of Rostov-on-Don.
In Samara, about 200 people gathered on Tuesday to mourn the loss of Makiivka’s troops as an Orthodox priest read a prayer.
Ekaterina Kolotovkina, head of the army wives group, called for revenge.
“We will destroy the enemy together. We have no choice.”